It's been a while since I purchased a "boutique" pedal because after so many disappointments and money down the tubes I started building clones and modifying Boss effects. I thought I'd make a short list of the most disappointing effects I've ever bought starting with some local companies in my neck of the woods here in the Pacific NW.

DirtyHarry86 wrote: just use real hole through parts and not smd's. Maybe then it won't sound like crap!

If you make a list of pedals you coinsidfer crap, then at least be willing to learn instead of repeating unfounded hearsay. At the other hand, if modifying for the sake of modifying is your goal and you consider Monte Allums a decent source of data....

But there are a lot of variables which ultimately determine (for someone's personal tastes) a "good" pedal as opposed to one that's "disappointing", including:

* What music do you play?* What guitar(s) do you use?* What amp(s)?* Are other effects in the chain?

Personally, there have been pedal circuits that I've built that were great(!) when I first built them, then were just ho-hum later on. Maybe I'm fickle, or my tastes change, new guitars, etc. But certainly, a fuzz which sounds like dreck to one person may be someone else's dream tone.

As far as overdrives/distortions are concerned, the one I favor now is the Ibanez MT-10 Mostortion. I built the Aion Electronics PCB version of it (the Quantum) and it's fabulous.

DirtyHarry86 wrote: just use real hole through parts and not smd's. Maybe then it won't sound like crap!

If you make a list of pedals you coinsidfer crap, then at least be willing to learn instead of repeating unfounded hearsay. At the other hand, if modifying for the sake of modifying is your goal and you consider Monte Allums a decent source of data....

Pls do yourself a favour and go to TGP with your complaints.

"Unfounded hearsay"? Hearsay would be repeating what I heard someone else say. This is purely my opinion. How can it be unfounded since nothing I said should be considered or interpreted as objective truth. It's just my opinion. "

The most important quality in any piece of guitar related gear is if YOU can actually play and get the best out of it.But the word boutique...its overused today,it should be something custom tailored to a particular player or style of playing,not a mass produced clone of a 2 diode basic distortion pedal.I mean,everybody is talking about vintage Fender products like holy grail,in the end those were mass produced instruments by minimum wage men and women,today anyone who makes a Fender copy of anything in the same fashion of the old days is called a GURU technician or luthier....Gimme a break.

But there are a lot of variables which ultimately determine (for someone's personal tastes) a "good" pedal as opposed to one that's "disappointing", including:

* What music do you play?* What guitar(s) do you use?* What amp(s)?* Are other effects in the chain?

Personally, there have been pedal circuits that I've built that were great(!) when I first built them, then were just ho-hum later on. Maybe I'm fickle, or my tastes change, new guitars, etc. But certainly, a fuzz which sounds like dreck to one person may be someone else's dream tone.

As far as overdrives/distortions are concerned, the one I favor now is the Ibanez MT-10 Mostortion. I built the Aion Electronics PCB version of it (the Quantum) and it's fabulous.

Everything I said was obviously my opinion. No one should take it to the bank. I love that 10 series of Ibanez pedals! I have the Ibanez CD10 Delay and SC10 Chorus! It may be the best chorus ever. I run them through an effects loop on one amo and into a Deluxe reverb on the other. I have not tried the MT10. Mostortion though. I will check it out!

I also just finished an Aion electronics build myself! Sounds just like the old MIJ DS-1. Very nice!

alexradium wrote:The most important quality in any piece of guitar related gear is if YOU can actually play and get the best out of it.But the word boutique...its overused today,it should be something custom tailored to a particular player or style of playing,not a mass produced clone of a 2 diode basic distortion pedal.I mean,everybody is talking about vintage Fender products like holy grail,in the end those were mass produced instruments by minimum wage men and women,today anyone who makes a Fender copy of anything in the same fashion of the old days is called a GURU technician or luthier....Gimme a break.

Ha! So true. It shows the sad state of our economy that making something to the standard of what was mass produced in the 50s and 60s needs a ridiculous label like "boutique".

DirtyHarry86 wrote: just use real hole through parts and not smd's. Maybe then it won't sound like crap!

If you make a list of pedals you coinsidfer crap, then at least be willing to learn instead of repeating unfounded hearsay. At the other hand, if modifying for the sake of modifying is your goal and you consider Monte Allums a decent source of data....

Pls do yourself a favour and go to TGP with your complaints.

"Unfounded hearsay"? Hearsay would be repeating what I heard someone else say. This is purely my opinion. How can it be unfounded since nothing I said should be considered or interpreted as objective truth. It's just my opinion. "

Please elaborate where you stated your opinion on use of SMT as an opinion. What it reads is as a direct assumption that the use of SMT adds op to the inferior sonic qualities. This is an opinion which is very commonly ventilated on fanboy sites like TGP, as well as on DIY sites where tinkerers ran into their own technical limitations and cover this by assuming the technology used suddenly affects the sonic quality. Therefore, your purely personal opinion happens to be one very often heard as an excuse.

So honestly my best man; you're full of bollocks on this subject. And, although that's my, purely personal, opinion, you know this just as well. My best guess is you're just too stinkin proud to admit.

DirtyHarry86 wrote:It's been a while since I purchased a "boutique" pedal because after so many disappointments and money down the tubes I started building clones and modifying Boss effects. I thought I'd make a short list of the most disappointing effects I've ever bought starting with some local companies in my neck of the woods here in the Pacific NW.

just use real hole through parts and not smd's. Maybe then it won't sound like crap!

What a load of Bollocks you talk. Simples.

I haven't quoted all the bad pedals you mention as they are not bad, I suggest you have just posted this to get a reaction, so answer me this, why do you think Through hole components are better then SMD.

It's fairly straight forward, if you want to start it , press start. You can work out the rest of the controls for yourself !

No silicon heaven ? preposterous ! Where would all the calculators go ?

DirtyHarry86 wrote:It's been a while since I purchased a "boutique" pedal because after so many disappointments and money down the tubes I started building clones and modifying Boss effects. I thought I'd make a short list of the most disappointing effects I've ever bought starting with some local companies in my neck of the woods here in the Pacific NW.

just use real hole through parts and not smd's. Maybe then it won't sound like crap!

What a load of Bollocks you talk. Simples.

I haven't quoted all the bad pedals you mention as they are not bad, I suggest you have just posted this to get a reaction, so answer me this, why do you think Through hole components are better then SMD.

If you like one of those pedals, that's great. I dont "react" when someone doesnt like a pedal that I do. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. Don't get your pannies all bunched up over it. I think the guy who commented on all the hype around "boutique" gear understood what I was saying. They may sound good, but they dont sound $200-$300 good. Isnt that why people on this site build a lit of their own effects?

with a well designed pcb you can do things you can't do with PTP wiring,for sure,and some components like opamps preferably need that,because there are things like RF,oscillations and such that come into play.The funny thing is that many PTP amps in the 3000 range are wired pretty sloppy with grounds all over the place for no reason at all,so PTP is nothing without knowledge.

with a well designed pcb you can do things you can't do with PTP wiring,for sure,and some components like opamps preferably need that,because there are things like RF,oscillations and such that come into play.

I am not take issue with you about your remarks, but I think a well designed PCB is allways gamble, because the dimensions and the location of some parts are predefined.Hand on heart - I guess there are few cases of problems in the audio frequency band.

The funny thing is that many PTP amps in the 3000 range are wired pretty sloppy with grounds all over the place for no reason at all,so PTP is nothing without knowledge.

When I have look at to many pedals, the PCBs of them are located underneath the cover, with the solder side facing up,so the solder points are much closer to the ground than of those PTP wirings.

@jose

Perhaps components with their leads NOT soldered to a board can sound even better ?

1) "Boutique" used to be shorthand for Fuller, zvex, teese, klon etc, i.e. people who capitalised on hype for hand built pedals, in a time before people could just google any schematic they wanted and build it for themselves. I'm not sure what it means now. eBay is now awash with UK handmade fuzzfaces etc, going for the cost of parts plus maybe £1:50 ph labour. Meanwhile, mass manufacturing companies have moved onto making pedals that look more like handmade pedals, although obviously factory made x1000s.

Due to economics of global industrialization, it seems the only way to make a profit from making pedals inside the UK, USA and most of Europe is to either use the hand-built, hand selected, artisan model of pricing or sell a product based on some other benefit such as higher durability, better engineering or some sort of innovation (rare).

2)

DirtyHarry86 wrote:just use real hole through parts and not smd's. Maybe then it won't sound like crap!

that pic is purdy, almost art , but using a DTTP switch and no L.E.D. ? is that too purist ???

it's all about value, what's it worth to you , or to resell or to collect or reputation a good tool or just a device to feel like you're in the game !and there are many games ........ I've got a great thing that you need , so pay me